About

NL4196-PA2112-PD0CJH-PE1BQP-PA3ANG.

The young NL-4196, PA2112 a short-wave listener.

Starting in 1972 as 14 year old boy listening with a simple solid state radio, I heard special signals and wondered myself. Radio got me and I became a official Short-wave Listener NL-4196 as member of the VERON (June 1972). My first “big” receiver was the B40 ex-navy and after a couple of years I bought my first commercial receiver, a Kenwood R599D. Together with a Fritzel vertical GPA-3 all amateur bands where monitored and lot’s of hours where spend “playing” with the radio.

That time two Amateur Radio Societies where present (and the still are). I could not choose so I became member of both.That’s why I got two Short-wave Listener Callsigns:
NL-4196 (VERON)
PA-2112 (VRZA)

The novice PD0CJH

In 1977 I got my first licence to operate on 6 fixed channels in the 2 meter band. 145.250,275,325,350,375 and 145.400 MHz. This so called D (Novice) licence kept me busy for a year and was the start to get the C licence.

The equipment I used was a fixed channel Kenwood TR-2200G. The antenna system consisted of a 9 element Tonna X beam and a 5/8 lambda GP. Home brew equipment was not allowed and we where restricted to 10 Watt FM only. The callsign I got was PD0CJH.

During this period I kept using my ex-equipment B40. I even bought one back after I sold my first B40 receiver. But the ‘boatanchor’ is no longer with me.

PE1BQP is born!

In 1978 I became PE1BQP. A full licence to operate VHF and higher amateur bands. My beauty-machine the TS-700G.
The antenna system remained the same.

But…… The Radio Virus got weaker as the YL Lida came into my live. She got me and eventually she got me as a Ham. I continued practising my Morse Code and passed the CW exam in 1979.

PA3ANG the final callsign.

Being now an A-licensed Radio Amateur, new equipment was needed to explore the “real” Amateur frequencies: the “HF” bands. I got myself a Kenwood TS-120V. I could not effort more power because of lack of money.
Was this the start to become a more QRP focused operator?

Some rigs I had during the first 15 years being PA3ANG

Kenwood TR-9000
2 Meter all mode

Yaesu FT790
70cm all mode

Cloned 23 cm Transverter
(Home brew)

Because of different circumstances I changed my QTH a couple of times. Voorburg, Berkel & Rodenrijs, Muntendam, Emmen. I always had my Radio-Shack and from some I kept pictures.

For VHF (2 Meter) I was able to buy a TS-9000. I had many years of pleasure with this gear. But.. also in the mean time building UHF (70 Cm) and even SHF (23 Cm) equipment, had my first Aurora and Sporadic E excitements and started to build Equipment for Packet Radio (Nodes and BBS). I ended up as being the builder of the Local 2 Meter Repeater PI3ZOD in Emmen.

An other activity was 10 Meter FM. Using DNT and HYCOM equipment, remote DTMF control and patching the 10Mtr signals on 2 Meter was one of the experiments we conducted during the 80’s. During this period I developed and produced a ‘small footprint’ CW Callsign generator and sold it to many Hams. This happened also with Baycom modem for the Commodore C-64 computer. It wasn’t booming business but al lot of Ham operators where activated with Packed Radio.

To suit the need in being a mobile Ham operator I had a variety of portable gadgets.

Kenwood
TR-2300

Standard
C101/C401

Kenwood
TH79

Yeasu
VX1R

The QSL card which is still used and has been send all over the world:

Antenna’s used

VHF- SHF plus 10 Mtrs
(1984)

HQ1 – Hybrid Quad
for 20, 15, 10 and 6 Mtrs

Cushcraft R5
(1988)

After 18 years having Emmen as our QTH we left and moved to Zwolle. We have a 4 storage house and the 4th storage is partly a roof garden. A perfect opportunity to place and maintain an antenna system.

My today’s equipment

I have changed in 2005 the equipment again.
After succesfully using the Alinco DX-70T for a long period, I exchanged the DX-70 for an Yeasu FT-840. This rig has a better ‘Base Station’ look and feel compared to the ‘Mobile’ Alinco. The FT-840 is fully equiped with FM-Unit, AM & CW filter and FC-10 automatic antenna tuner.

An other gadget I bought (especially to go portable and for 6 meters):

Yeasu FT-817

And very recently (2007) i was able to buy the Elecraft K1 en K2 rigs. This rigs can be obtained in Kit form, but due to lack of time I bought then allready assembled. The rigs are full loaded with all possible accessory.

The Electraft line. K2/100 including KAT100 and the K1-4band.

30+ years being a Ham resulted in

Working more than 250 countries on HF when hunting DX stations and participating in contests.Operating CW, Phone, RTTY, PSK31, ATV, Vintage AMUsing Repeaters and Satellite UO14, RS12/13Lots of QRP operations using QRP and QRPP

Buying and selling and buying equipment. I had more equipment than mentioned on this page (hi)